Series 1: Episode 1 (Life on Mars)
The first episode of the first series of the British time travel/police procedural television series, Life on Mars, was first broadcast on 9 January 2006. The episode, known erroneously as "The Crash", was produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One. Synopsis After a road accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler awakens to find himself in 1973. Apparently a DI and assigned to work under rough-around-the-edges DCI Gene Hunt, Tyler follows a series of murders which have been committed with the same modus operandi in both 2006 and 1973. The clash of cultures between Tyler and others relates mainly to the lack of importance placed on forensic science in 1973. WPC Annie Cartwright stops Sam jumping off the top of a building after he convinces himself that suicide will take him back to 2006. Plot DCI Sam Tyler is investigating a series of murders in Manchester in 2006. After arresting and questioning a suspect, (Colin Raimes) Tyler is forced to let him go when he has an alibi for one of the murders. Sam Tyler's girlfriend and colleague Maya Roy is reluctant to give up on Raimes and follows him, only to disappear, leaving only a bloody shirt behind. Sam, driving back from the crime scene, stricken with grief, pulls over and steps out of his Cherokee Jeep to compose himself, and is hit by a speeding car. When he wakes up, he's now living in the Manchester of 1973. He is now a detective inspector transfered from 'C' Division in Hyde and his new boss, DCI Gene Hunt, is a living representation of everything the police force has tried to stop itself being in 2006. Gene is a sexist, pompous and arrogant man who uses his weight in the station to great effect. He takes the attitude of "shoot first, then ask questions." The rest of Sam's colleagues, including DC Chris Skelton and DS Ray Carling are of the same vein. They all think the new boy is a little strange because of his frequent outbursts and what appears to them as erratic behaviour. Only one person reaches out to Sam, the young female police officer Annie Cartwright. She listens to his tale and, though unbelieving, she befriends him hoping to rid him of his delusion. Sam notices a connection between the murder case he is investigating in 1973 and the one he left behind in 2006. The case is of a young woman, Susie Tripper, garrotted with a shoelace, who went without food for 24 hours before being killed. Sam finds synthetic fibres under her fingernails (as in the case in 2006) and strangely she wasn't gagged. Annie, using her knowledge of psychology, deduces with Sam that the perpetrator wanted to see her ruby red lips, lips he was too afraid to kiss. When another young woman, Dora Keens, goes missing, Sam believes he can find the serial killer. He gets fed up with Gene Hunt and 1973, but gets excited when he unexpectedly finds the same synthetic material (pipe lagging) in a record shop listening booth being used as sound-proofing. DC Skelton unearths from records a forgotten complaint from Beryl Raimes (Colin Raimes's grandmother) about a noisy neighbour. Re-questioning Mrs Raimes, they discover that the noise from his records stopped after her complaint. Putting two and two together, Sam and Gene race to the neighbour's address. Sam realises it is the house next door to where Colin Raimes lives in 2006. Inside they find a room lagged in the pipe material and Dora Keans tied to a chair with a record blaring at high volume. They arrest the long-haired neighbour when he returns to the room. Back at the station, Gene and Sam discuss what will happen to the serial killer. Gene believes he will go down for life, but Sam knows that because of a psychiatrist report found at the house, he will be sent to an institution and be back on the streets in about 30 years. Sam struggles with his conscience, but finally follows Gene's advice and puts the report in the bin, which will mean the killer will recieve a life sentence. Gene welcomes him to the team. Later, Sam sees Annie's ex-boyfriend Neil again. He claims to be a doctor speaking directly to Sam's subconscious mind and tells Sam he is in a coma, leading him to believe that the whole thing is just a dream, a fantasy. Sam is ready to wake up and so stands atop the high roof of the police station, thinking that when he throws himself off he will wake up back in 2006. Annie stops him, telling him that Neil was playing a cruel joke and looking over the edge, Sam sees Neil below begging him not to jump. Sam is left none the wiser as to whether what's happening to him is real or just a delusion. Annie convinces him to stay—at least for the time being—in 1973. Cast *Sam Tyler — John Simm (first appearance) *Gene Hunt — Philip Glenister (first appearance) *Chris Skelton — Marshall Lancaster (first appearance) *Ray Carling — Dean Andrews (first appearance) *Annie Cartwright — Liz White (first appearance) *Nelson — Tony Marshall (first appearance) *Maya Roy — Archie Panjabi (first appearance) *Colin Raimes — Sam Hazeldine *Young Lad — Henry Cox *Raimes's Lawyer — Caroline Harding *Raimes's Psychiatrist — Parvez Qadir *Raimes's Social Worker — Orla Cottingham *Police Officer — Tom Charnock *Neil — Christopher Harper *TV Presenter — Richard Sinnott *Dora Keens — Jane Riley *Sid — Andy Abrahams *Beryl Raimes — Mags Gannon *June — Rae Kelly Cultural references *The title of the show is a reference to the David Bowie song of the same name, which is also playing on an iPod when Sam is hit by the car. The song continues playing when he arrives in 1973, now on an eight-track tape player. *After finding Maya’s blood-stained shirt, Sam tells an officer to “call in SOCO.” ' '''Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) is an officer who gathers forensic evidence for the British police. SOCOs are usually civilians employed by the police forces. Evidence collected is passed to the detectives of the Criminal Investigation Department and to the forensic laboratories. The SOCOs do not investigate crimes or analyse evidence themselves. *The shot after Sam runs away from the policeman and sees a billboard that mentions '''Manchester's "Highway in the Sky"', where he was when he was hit by the car, is lifted straight from Back to the Future. In that film, Marty McFly sees a billboard of the Lyons Estate, where he will live in 1985. *When Chris first meets Sam, he says, “Blimey. you look like you've gone ten rounds with Big Henry.” This is likely a reference to English heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper (later Sir Henry) (1934–2011) known for his powerful left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of a young Muhammad Ali. Cooper held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career, and unsuccessfully challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship in 1966. His last fight was in 1971 and by 1973 he had parlayed his tremendous popularity into commentating, TV ads, and various public appearances. *Chris tells Sam that the murder victim had a "couple of''' Green Shields'" in her purse. '''Green Shield Stamps' were a sales promotion or incentive loyalty scheme using trading stamps, designed to encourage or reward shopping by being able to buy gifts. Green Shield Trading Stamp Company was founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Richard Tompkins, and the stamps were withdrawn in 1991. In mid-1973 (after the time of this episode) Green Shield Stamp catalogue shops were rebranded “Argos.” *Sam asks Annie if she is a doctor; she replies, “I'm about as qualified as Doctor Kildare. Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character who was portrayed in films, radio and television from the 1930s to the 1970s. Annie would likely know the character from the 1960s American TV show starring Richard Chamberlain. *Although not explicitly identified, the television lecturer who speaks to Sam is stereotypical of the Open University programmes shown in off-peak hours at the time. The Open University is a distance learning and research institution founded in 1969 and famous for its dry academic lecture programmes which ran on the BBC from 1971 to 2006. *In the scene where Sam and Gene realize that Mrs. Raimes's neighbour is the killer, they take a slow-motion leap onto and over a desk, side-by-side. This is a play on a device frequently used in Starsky and Hutch, the seminal buddy-cop drama of the mid 1970s. Frequently, Starsky and Hutch would be seen leaping over furniture, cars, or any other obstruction in a similar manner to get to the bad guys or the victim. Production *The initial geographical setting of the series was to be London; this was then changed to Leeds, and finally to Manchester, as part of a BBC initiative to make more programmes in the city. *This episode's script was very closely adapted for the U.S. version's first episode, "Out Here in the Fields". *The shooting script of this episode is available in the "writersroom" section of the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/life_on_mars_ep_1.pdf). It includes various scenes and passages of dialogue omitted from the final episode, including an opening scene with Sam and Maya in Sam's flat and a subplot about Gene collecting a "retirement fund" in a sock for DS Burt, who had challenged his authority. Appearances *DCI Gene Hunt *DS Ray Carling *DC Chris Skelton *WDC Annie Cartwright |other characters= *Nelson *Colin Raimes *Edward Kramer *Beryl Raimes |creatures= |events= |locations= *Manchester **Satchmore Road *Stopford House *Sam Tyler's flat *The Railway Arms *Vinyl Heaven *Hyde *Manchester St James' Hospital |organizations= *Manchester and Salford Police *Greater Manchester Police |vehicles= *Ford Cortina *Jeep |technology= *Telephone *Television *Mobile telephone *iPod *8-track tape |miscellanea= *2006 *1973 *Diet Coke *Synthetic Fibres }} Music *"Life on Mars?" - David Bowie *"Stairway to the Stars" - Blue Öyster Cult *"I'm So Free" - Lou Reed *"Baba O'Riley" - The Who *"Rat Bat Blue" - Deep Purple *"Fireball" - Deep Purple *"White Room" by Cream Music: International Version/ DVD release *"Life on Mars?" - David Bowie *"Feel Too Good" - The Move *"If There Is Something" - Roxy Music *"Baba O'Riley" - The Who *"Easy Livin" - Uriah Heep *"Look At Yourself" - Uriah Heep *"White Room" - Cream External Links Script at BBC Writers' Room Category:Life on Mars (UK) episodes